The Asean summit, held in Jakarta in September 2023, was marked by tensions between American, Chinese and Russian officials. Joko Widodo, the Indonesian president and host of the meeting, expressed concern about the growing rivalries between these major powers.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov all attended the highly publicized summit. Exchanges between U.S. and Chinese officials were particularly scrutinized, given existing tensions between the two countries over issues such as Taiwan, the South China Sea and rivalry for influence in the region.
The Indonesian president called on summit participants to strengthen cooperation rather than fuel rivalries. He stressed the importance of maintaining respect for international law in the South China Sea. The South China Sea issue has been a constant point of concern at the summit, with countries including the Philippines expressing concern over the growing use of China’s coast guard in the region.
Sergei Lavrov, for his part, warned against the militarization of East Asia and criticized the Aukus military alliance between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. He said the alliance could lead to clashes and accused NATO of planning to penetrate the region.
The Asean Summit also provided an opportunity for other world leaders, such as Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, and Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, to express their positions on key regional and international issues. They stressed the importance of maintaining a law-based global order and called for promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Overall, the Asean summit exposed the growing rivalries between global powers and showed the need for stronger cooperation to tackle common challenges. The South China Sea issue and bilateral tensions between the United States, China and Russia remain major concerns in the region.